As a bout of bitter and deadly cold sweeps the US, millions of Americans are being told to dress in layers if they must go outside.
WHAT IS LAYERING?
Layering means wearing multiple pieces of clothing to keep your body comfortable in cold weather. Each layer creates an insulating pocket of air that protects you better than just wearing a big jacket, and layering helps move sweat and moisture away from your skin.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Medical University Hospital 照片：台北醫學大學附設醫院提供
No matter how cold it is, you’re probably going to sweat when you go outside and start moving, said Claire Wilson, executive director of The Loppet Foundation — a nonprofit that promotes winter recreation and activities in Minneapolis.
If you’re wearing the correct layers, you can feel perspiration wick away from your body, she said. The idea is to add another layer if you get cold, or take off a layer when you get hot or wet.
AVOID COTTON AND WETNESS
Photo: EPA-EFE 照片：歐新社
Wilson said she loves to shop at thrift stores for layers that won’t break the bank.
“Just look for things that aren’t cotton,” she said.
Cotton absorbs moisture, so it stays wet longer, Wilson explained. Cotton socks can get wet in your boots or shoes if you walk in the snow, and a cotton shirt under your jacket can get wet with sweat. Cotton won’t dry quickly, so you’ll get colder, she said.
Photo: Bloomberg 照片：彭博社
Instead, choose wool socks and fabrics made of fleece, polyester or polypropylene, she said. You can also repurpose old vests and shirts, which are great at keeping your core warm. Many of these items might also already be in your closet; layering up doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
THINK OF THREE MAIN LAYERS
Wilson recommends starting with a base layer, then a mid layer and then an outer layer.
The base layer is closest to your skin, so it’s important for the fabric to wick away moisture, she said. Choose polyester over cotton for this. Then, wear a mid layer — a vest or a shirt — to keep your core warm. Some people choose to wear more than one mid layer. Finally, wear a traditional winter jacket that breaks the wind a little but also insulates you, Wilson said.
DRESS TO PREVENT FROSTBITE
Frostbite — a painful injury in which skin freezes, blood flow decreases and tissue gets damaged — can happen within minutes in cold weather when skin is not adequately covered.
Symptoms include blistering of the skin because it’s damaged, along with bruising and swelling. Frostbite can even result in the loss of a limb, if it’s not properly treated.
Layering up can prevent frostbite because it traps a bit of insulating air between each layer of fabric. It’s more effective than simply wearing a big coat because layers “tend to keep the moisture from outside — or the moisture from your body — from traveling as far as it gets trapped” by the air within each layer.
Dr. James Miner, chief of emergency medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, recommends a waterproof outer layer, like a raincoat, to keep the lower layers dry.
Children typically require one more layer than adults, said Toni Hauser, supervisor of emergency preparedness and response for the Minneapolis Health Department. Hauser suggests keeping extra clothing or blankets in your car as well, in case you run out of gas or your car breaks down and you need to be outside.
PROTECT SPECIFIC BODY PARTS
“Three words: Cover Your Bum (CYB)!” the city of Minneapolis says in a blog post about staying warm in cold weather. In other words, wear a winter jacket that falls closer to your knees than your hips.
(AP)
一場致命嚴寒席捲美國，數百萬美國人被告知，若必須外出，就要穿多層衣服。
什麼是多層（/洋蔥式）穿衣法？
洋蔥式分層穿衣法意味穿多件衣服，以便在寒冷的天氣保持身體舒適。每一層衣物都會形成一個隔熱的空氣袋，比只穿一件大夾克更能提供保護，而且分層有助於帶走皮膚上的汗水與濕氣。
洛佩特基金會執行董事克萊兒‧威爾森說，無論天氣有多冷，你到戶外去一開始活動，就可能會出汗。洛佩特基金會是一家在明尼阿波利斯推廣冬季休閒活動的非營利組織。
她說，如果你穿的衣服有正確的分層，就會感覺到身上的汗水消失。原理是你若覺得冷，就再加一件；若覺得熱或汗溼了，就脫掉一件。
避免棉質衣物與潮濕
威爾森說，她喜歡在舊貨店買價錢實惠的衣服。
「只要找不是棉質的衣物就好了」，她說。
威爾森解釋說，棉會吸收水分，因此潮濕的時間更久。如果在雪中行走，靴子或鞋子裡的棉襪可能會弄濕，外套裡的棉質襯衫可能會被汗水浸濕。她說，棉不是快乾的材質，所以你會覺得更冷。
相反地，她說，應選用羊毛襪，以及羊毛、聚酯或聚丙烯纖維材質的布料。也可以把舊背心和襯衫再拿出來穿，它們對核心的保暖很有用。你的衣櫃裡可能已經有這些品項了，洋蔥式分層穿衣法並不需要花大錢。
洋蔥式穿衣以三層為主
威爾森建議從底層開始，然後是中間層，再來是外層。
她說，底層最接近皮膚，因此布料將濕氣吸走排出的能力很重要。為此，請選擇聚酯纖維而非棉質。然後穿上中間層——背心或襯衫——以保持核心溫暖。有些人的中間層不只穿一件。最後，穿一件傳統的冬季夾克，既可防風，又能隔熱，威爾森說。
預防凍傷的穿衣法
凍傷是一種皮膚凍結、血流減少和組織受損的痛苦傷害，在寒冷天氣中，如果皮膚沒有得到充分覆蓋，幾分鐘內就會發生凍傷。
其症狀包括皮膚因受損而起水泡，以及瘀傷和腫脹。若無適當治療，凍傷甚至會造成斷肢。
洋蔥式分層穿衣法能防止凍傷，因為它可以在每層布料之間保留一點隔絕空氣。它比簡單穿一件大衣更有效，因為每層衣物間的空氣，「往往會阻擋外部的水分或身上的水分進出」。
明尼阿波利斯亨內平縣醫療中心急診主任詹姆斯‧麥納醫師建議使用防水外層，例如雨衣，以保持下層乾燥。
明尼亞波利斯衛生局緊急應變部門主管東妮‧豪瑟表示，兒童通常需要比成人多穿一層衣服。豪瑟建議在車子裡多放件衣服或毯子，以防汽油耗盡或汽車拋錨而需要走出車外。
保護身體的特定部位
「三個詞：蓋住你的臀部（CYB）」！明尼阿波利斯市在一篇部落格文章中提及寒冷天氣中的保暖之道。此即謂，穿一件長度近膝蓋而不只是到臀部的冬季外套。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
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